Disk drive apparatus having a lock member for preventing erroneous disk cartridge insertion

ABSTRACT

An apparatus capable of preventing erroneous insertion of a disk cartridge in a direction 90 degrees different from the correct direction while suppressing an increase in the number of components and to smoothly and securely transfer the disk cartridge. There is provided a lock lever capable of locking the cartridge while being pivotally supported by a slider that transfers the cartridge between a mounting and dismounting position and an insertion completed position with respect to a holder. The lock lever pivots while being engaged with the disk cartridge that is being inserted, and a first pivot amount when the cartridge is being inserted with a wide width of insertion in the correct direction is set smaller than a second pivot amount when the disk cartridge is being inserted with a narrow width of insertion in the incorrect direction. The holder is provided with a stop rib that allows the movement of the lock lever in the direction in which the cartridge is inserted in the case of the first pivot amount and prevents the movement in the case of the second pivot amount.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to disk drives, and more particularly, to a disk drive which is applied to a disk of, for example, the so-called MD (minidisk) or the like including a recording and/or reproducing medium encased in a disk cartridge and is provided for recording information on the medium or reproducing the information recorded on the medium.

As a disk drive to be applied to a disk of, for example, the so-called MD (minidisk) or the like including a recording and/or reproducing medium encased in a disk cartridge, there has conventionally been generally known a disk drive provided with a recording and reproducing unit for recording information on the recording and/or reproducing medium encased in a disk cartridge or reproducing the information recorded on the medium, a holder for guiding and holding the disk cartridge that is being inserted, a transfer member capable of transferring the disk cartridge between a mounting and dismounting position where the disk cartridge can be mounted on and dismounted from the holder and an insertion completed position with respect to the holder and a drive mechanism capable of driving the transfer member. For example, the prior art references of Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 6-267124, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 8-102118, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 8-171765 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 8-180625 and so on disclose the detailed constructions of such a disk drive.

When inserting the disk cartridge into the holder of the disk drive, there can be considered the possibility that the user might erroneously insert the cartridge in a direction 90 degrees different from the correct direction.

As is well known, the disk cartridge has a rectangular planar shape constituted by a short side (68 mm) and a long side (72 mm), and the direction in which the cartridge is inserted with the long side thereof facing the opening of the holder (i.e., in the direction in which the width of insertion is wider) is the correct direction of insertion of the cartridge. Therefore, when the cartridge is erroneously inserted in the direction 90 degrees different from the correct direction, the disk cartridge is being inserted with the narrow width of insertion.

When such erroneous insertion occurs, there is the possibility of the occurrence of damage of the cartridge and the disk drive due to the forced inserting/ejecting operation of the cartridge. Accordingly, there is a need for the provision of a mechanism for preventing such erroneous insertion. However, with regard to the structure and size of the disk drive, there is a growing demand for the further simplification and compacting of the structure. Therefore, even when providing an erroneous insertion preventing mechanism as described above, it is required to suppress an increase in the number of components as far as possible.

As described above, in the disk drive provided with a transfer member for transferring a disk cartridge between a mounting and dismounting position and an insertion completed position and a drive mechanism capable of driving the transfer member, there is generally provided a lock member capable of locking the cartridge that is being inserted with respect to the transfer member.

Then, the transfer member moves in the direction in which the cartridge is inserted in a state in which the disk cartridge is locked by this lock member, thereby transferring the disk cartridge to the insertion completed position. In this stage, in order to perform smooth and secure transfer of the disk cartridge, it is important for the lock member to be able to move smoothly and securely in the direction in which the cartridge is inserted.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide a disk drive capable of preventing the erroneous insertion of a disk cartridge in a direction 90 degrees different from the correct direction of the disk cartridge while suppressing an increase in the number of components and smoothly and securely transferring the disk cartridge.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a disk drive comprising: a recording and reproducing unit for recording information on a recording and/or reproducing medium encased in a disk cartridge or reproducing the information recorded on the medium; a holder for guiding and holding the disk cartridge that is being inserted; a transfer member (slider) for transferring the disk cartridge between a mounting and dismounting position where the disk cartridge can be mounted on and dismounted from the holder and an insertion completed position where the disk cartridge is completely inserted in the holder while moving together with the disk cartridge; a drive mechanism which has an electric motor and an output transmission mechanism thereof and is capable of driving the transfer member; and a lock member (lock lever) that is pivotally supported by the transfer member and is able to lock the disk cartridge, the lock member pivoting while being engaged with the disk cartridge that has a rectangular planar shape constituted by a short side and a long side when the disk cartridge is being inserted, with a first pivot amount when the disk cartridge is being inserted with a wide width of insertion in the correct direction set smaller than a second pivot amount when the disk cartridge is being inserted with a narrow width of insertion in an incorrect direction, and the holder being provided with a stopper (stop rib) for allowing the lock member to move in the direction in which the cartridge is inserted in a state in which the lock member pivots by the first pivot amount and preventing the lock member from moving in the direction in which the cartridge is inserted in a state in which the lock member pivots by the second pivot amount.

In the first aspect of the present invention, with regard to the lock member that is pivotally supported by the transfer member for transferring the disk cartridge between the mounting and dismounting position and the insertion completed position and locks the cartridge while pivoting so as to be engaged with the disk cartridge that is being inserted, the first pivot amount when the cartridge is being inserted with the wide width of insertion in the correct direction is set smaller than the second pivot amount when the cartridge is being inserted with the narrow width of insertion in the incorrect direction. The holder for guiding and holding the disk cartridge that is being inserted is provided with the stopper for allowing the lock lever to move in the direction in which the cartridge is inserted in the state in which the lock member pivots by the first pivot amount and preventing the lock member from moving in the direction in which the cartridge is inserted in the state in which the lock member pivots by the second pivot amount. With this arrangement, the erroneous insertion can be securely prevented by taking advantage of the fact that the width of insertion of the cartridge varies depending on when the disk cartridge is being inserted in the correct direction or when the disk cartridge is being inserted in the incorrect direction 90 degrees different from the correct direction, causing a difference in the amount of pivot of the lock member.

In this case, by merely providing the holder with the stopper, the erroneous insertion can be prevented by means of the lock member provided for locking the disk cartridge with the transfer member. Accordingly, there is no need for newly incorporating separate components, causing no structural complication of the disk drive.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a disk drive comprising: a recording and reproducing unit for recording information on a recording and/or reproducing medium encased in a disk cartridge or reproducing the information recorded on the medium; a holder for guiding and holding the disk cartridge that is being inserted; a transfer member (slider) for transferring the disk cartridge between a mounting and dismounting position where the disk cartridge can be mounted on and dismounted from the holder and an insertion completed position where the disk cartridge is completely inserted in the holder while moving together with the disk cartridge; a drive mechanism which has an electric motor and an output transmission mechanism thereof and is capable of driving the transfer member; and a lock member (lock lever) that is pivotally supported by the transfer member and is able to lock the disk cartridge while being engaged with the disk cartridge that is being inserted, the holder being provided with a guide member to be engaged with an engagement portion of the lock member in a state in which the lock member locks the disk cartridge, and the lock member moving in the direction in which the cartridge is inserted in a state in which the engagement portion of the lock member is guided by the guide member.

In the second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the lock member that is pivotally supported by the transfer member for transferring the disk cartridge between the mounting and dismounting position and the insertion completed position and locks the cartridge while being engaged with the disk cartridge that is being inserted. The holder for guiding and holding the disk cartridge that is being inserted is provided with the guide member to be engaged with the engagement portion of the lock member in the state in which the lock member locks the disk cartridge. The lock member moves in the direction in which the cartridge is inserted in the state in which the engagement portion thereof is guided by the guide member. Therefore, the lock member (and also the transfer member) can be moved smoothly and securely in the direction in which the cartridge is inserted.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a disk drive according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the holder unit and the chassis unit of the above disk drive;

FIG. 3 is an explanatory side view of the above disk drive in the assembled state;

FIG. 4 is an explanatory plan view of the above holder unit;

FIG. 5 is an explanatory plan view of the above chassis unit;

FIG. 6 is an explanatory plan view showing an interlocked state in which a slider of the above holder unit is associated with a drive mechanism of the chassis unit;

FIG. 7 is an explanatory side view showing an interlocked state in which the slider of the above holder unit is associated with the drive mechanism of the chassis unit;

FIG. 8 is an explanatory side view showing an insertion start state when the above disk cartridge is being inserted into the holder;

FIG. 9 is an explanatory side view showing an insertion completed state when the above disk cartridge is inserted in the holder;

FIG. 10 is an explanatory side view showing a recording and reproducing enabled state when the above disk cartridge is inserted in the holder;

FIG. 11 is an explanatory plan view showing a lock lever disengaged state when the above disk cartridge is inserted in the holder;

FIG. 12 is an explanatory plan view showing a lock lever engaged state when the above disk cartridge is inserted in the holder;

FIG. 13 is an explanatory plan view showing the insertion completed state in which the above disk cartridge is inserted in the holder;

FIG. 14 is an explanatory plan view showing an operation state in which a main rack and a sub-rack operate in a disk cartridge mounting and dismounting position;

FIG. 15 is an explanatory plan view showing an operation state in which the main rack and the sub-rack operate in a disk cartridge insertion completed position;

FIG. 16 is an explanatory plan view showing an operation state in which the main rack and the sub-rack operate in a disk cartridge reproducible position;

FIG. 17 is an explanatory plan view showing an operation state in which the main rack and the sub-rack operate in a disk cartridge recordable position;

FIG. 18 is an explanatory plan view showing the operating state of a lock lever in the cartridge mounting and dismounting position when the disk cartridge is erroneously inserted in a direction 90 degrees different from the correct direction of the cartridge;

FIG. 19 is an explanatory plan view showing the disk drive and the operating state of a lock lever in the cartridge mounting and dismounting position when the disk cartridge is erroneously inserted in a direction 90 degrees different from the correct direction of the cartridge;

FIG. 20 is an explanatory plan view showing the operating state of a slider in the cartridge mounting and dismounting position when the disk cartridge is being inserted in the correct direction;

FIG. 21 is an explanatory side view showing the operating state of a slider in the cartridge mounting and dismounting position when the disk cartridge is being inserted in the correct direction;

FIG. 22 is an explanatory plan view showing the operating state of a slider in the cartridge insertion completed position when the disk cartridge is being inserted in the correct direction;

FIG. 23 is an explanatory plan view showing the operating state of a slider in the cartridge mounting and dismounting position when the disk cartridge is erroneously inserted in a direction 180 degrees different from the correct direction of the disk cartridge; and

FIG. 24 is an overall perspective view of the disk cartridge.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a disk drive 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in this figure, the disk drive 1 (occasionally referred to simply as a “unit” hereinafter) is basically constructed of a holder unit 10 provided with a holder 11 for encasing and holding a disk cartridge 60 (occasionally referred to simply as a “cartridge” hereinafter) in which the so-called minidisk (MD) that serves as a recording and/or reproducing medium is encased and a chassis unit 30 provided with a flat-plate-shaped chassis 31 that serves as a mounting base for the principal components of the disk drive 1. The holder unit 10 is supported pivotally in the vertical direction with respect to the chassis unit 30 about a portion near the end portion on the side opposite to the cartridge insertion side, as described later.

The construction of these units 10 and 30 and the operation of the disk drive 1 will be successively described below.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the holder unit 10 and the chassis unit 30. FIG. 3 is an explanatory side view of the whole body of the disk drive in the assembled state. FIG. 4 is an explanatory plan view of the holder unit 10. FIG. 5 is an explanatory plan view of the chassis unit 30. FIG. 6 is an explanatory plan view showing an associated state in which a loading mechanism of the holder unit 10 is associated with a drive mechanism of the chassis unit 30. FIG. 7 is an explanatory side view showing the associated state of FIG. 6. It is to be noted that the construction of the disk cartridge 60 is shown in the perspective view of FIG. 24.

The construction of the holder unit 10 will be described first.

This holder unit 10 has the holder 11 that serves as the main body of the holder unit 10 and guides, receives and holds the disk cartridge 60 that is being inserted, and this holder 11 is basically mounted with a slider 12 that transfers the disk cartridge 60 that is being inserted into the unit 1, a lock lever 13 for locking and unlocking the disk cartridge 60 that is being inserted with respect to the slider 12 and a shutter opener 15 for opening and closing a shutter 61 of the cartridge 60.

It is to be noted that the holder 11 corresponds to the holder stated in the claims of the present application, while the lock lever 13 corresponds to the lock member stated in the claims of the present application.

The holder 11 has one end provided with an opening 11 a for receiving the disk cartridge 60 and the other end provided with a pair of pivot pins 11 b and 11 c (only the pivot pin 11 b on one side is shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2) that serve as pivots for a pivoting operation in the vertical direction of the holder 11 while projecting laterally outward.

The bottom surface of the holder 11 is provided with an engagement projection lid to be engaged with a drive mechanism capable of driving a loading mechanism including the slider 12 as described later. It is to be noted that the drive mechanism is provided on the chassis unit 30.

The slider 12 has a hook portion 12 a (see FIG. 4) on the lower surface side, and this hook section 12 a is slidably engaged with an elongated groove 11 s cut in the holder 11. This elongated groove 11 s extends in a direction in which the cartridge 60 is inserted or ejected (the direction of arrow A/B shown in FIG. 4), and the hook section 12 a (i.e., the slider 12) can move in the above direction (direction A/B) within the range of this elongated groove 11 s.

The disk cartridge 60 being inserted from the holder opening 11 a is transferred into the unit 1 in accordance with the movement of this slider 12.

The slider 12 is provided with an engagement pin 12 b that has a specified length and extends downward, and as described later, this engagement pin 12 b comes into engagement with the drive mechanism on the chassis unit 30 side.

It is to be noted that this slider 12 is to transfer the disk cartridge 60 between the mounting and dismounting position where the cartridge can be mounted and dismounted from the holder 11 and an insertion completed position where the cartridge is completely positioned with respect to the holder 11. The slider corresponds to the “transfer member” stated in the claims of the present application and constitutes part of the loading mechanism capable of transferring the cartridge between the above mounting and dismounting position and a recording and reproducing position of the recording and reproducing unit (described later) as disclosed in the claims of the present application.

The lock lever 13 has a hook portion 13 a on the lower surface side, and this hook portion 13 a is slidably engaged with an elongated groove 12 s cut in the slider 12. This elongated groove 12 s extends in the insertion/ejection direction (direction A/B, see FIG. 4) of the cartridge 60 in a state in which the slider 12 is assembled with the holder 11. The hook portion 13 a (i.e., the lock lever 13) is able to move in the above direction (direction A/B) within the range of this elongated groove 12 s and is able to pivot around a center Pf of the hook portion 13 a (i.e., in the direction of arrow C/D shown in FIG. 4).

This lock lever 13 is always urged in the direction of arrow C by a spring 14 (lock lever spring) mounted around a pin 12 c projecting on the upper surface side of the slider 12. Further, a lock pawl 13 b for pulling and retaining the cartridge 60 is provided on the leading end side of the lock lever 13 while being engaged with a side recess 60 a provided on one side surface of the disk cartridge 60.

The shutter opener 15 has an engagement hook portion 15 a to be engaged with a shutter hole 61 a bored in the shutter 61 of the disk cartridge 60 and is mounted and fixed relatively close to the cartridge insertion side end portion of the side portion of the holder 11.

On a side portion of this holder 11 is formed a window lie relatively close to the cartridge insertion side end portion, and the shutter opener 15 is mounted so that its hook portion 15 a projects inwardly of the window 11 e.

When the disk cartridge 60 is inserted from the opening 11 a into the holder 11, the engagement hook portion 15 a of the shutter opener 15 comes into engagement with the shutter hole 61 a of the cartridge 60, by which the shutter 61 is opened in accordance with the progress of the inserting operation of the cartridge 60.

The chassis unit 30 will be described next.

This chassis unit 30 is provided with a flat-plate-shaped chassis 31 that serves as the mounting base of the principal components of the disk drive 1, and this flat-plate-shaped chassis 31 is mounted with a recording and reproducing unit 32 for recording information on a recording and/or reproducing medium encased in the disk cartridge 60 or reproducing the information recorded on the medium, a head shifter 33 for vertically moving a magnetic head 32 a of the recording and reproducing unit 32, a drive mechanism capable of driving the loading mechanism including the slider 12 provided for the holder unit 10 and so on.

As described above, the holder 11 is also supported pivotally around the pivot pins 11 b and 11 c provided at the end portion oppositely to the opening side in the vertical direction with respect to the flat-plate-shaped chassis 31.

The flat-plate-shaped chassis 31 is obtained by cutting a steel plate material of, for example, a specified thickness into a specified planar shape (rectangular shape in the present embodiment) by a shearing process or the like and punching a plurality of holes 31 h and cut portions 31 n through specified portions of the plate material. The plate material is subjected to neither bending process nor emboss process, and therefore, the planar portion remains flat.

That is, more preferably, the flat-plate-shaped chassis 31 is set to a specified thickness and the base portion except for the holes 31 h and the cut portion 31 n is formed flat throughout the entire surface. Therefore, as compared with the conventional case of the bending process or the like, the construction itself of the chassis 31 is substantially simplified, and the dimensional (thickness) accuracy and form (flatness) accuracy are also remarkably improved. Therefore, the accuracy of the assembled state of the principal components can be very easily assured, so that the high-accuracy operation of the disk drive 1 can be guaranteed without specifically necessitating troublesome adjustment or the like. Therefore, the productivity in the assembling work of the disk drive 1 can be remarkably improved, and the assembling performance is also remarkably improved.

At least part of the plurality of holes 31 h and/or the cut portions 31 n is used for mounting (fixing, supporting or engaging) the constituent elements of the principal components of the disk drive or the other accessory parts on the chassis 31, where the constituent elements or the other accessory parts are mounted on the specified holes 31 h and/or the cut portions 31 n directly or via a mounting member. Therefore, the constituent elements of the principal components or the other accessory parts are mounted on the chassis in a correctly positioned state without any trouble.

It is to be noted that the remaining holes 31 h and/or the cut portions 31 n, being not used for the mounting of the constituent elements of the principal components and/or the other accessory parts play the role of reducing the weight of the flat-plate-shaped chassis 31 as, for example, through holes 31 h and/or cut portions 31 n.

More preferably, prior to the mounting of the constituent elements of the principal components of the disk drive and/or the other accessory parts and/or the their mounting members, the base portion of the flat chassis 31 except for the holes 31 h and the cut portions 31 n is subjected to the so-called leveling process. As is well known, this leveling process uses a leveling unit (the so-called leveler) provided with a pair of pressure rollers arranged at specified regular intervals and controls the thickness dimension and flatness of the plate material with extremely high accuracy by leveling the thickness and surface of the plate material by making the plate pass through the space between the pressure rollers. By subjecting the chassis 31 to this leveling process, the thickness dimension and the flatness of the chassis 31 can be stably controlled with higher accuracy.

Further, more preferably, the constituent elements of the principal components and/or the other accessory parts and/or their mounting members are made of synthetic resin and are integrally formed with the chassis 31 by outsert molding subsequently to the leveling process.

This outsert molding is to integrally form the mounting holes 31 h and/or cut portions 31 n of the chassis 31 with the specified elements by preparing a pair of molds provided with a molding cavity corresponding to the necessary elements (the constituent elements of the principal components and/or the other accessory parts and/or their mounting members), putting the molds close to each other with the chassis 31 interposed between these molds and injecting molten resin into the molding cavity. By this process, the mounting of the constituent elements of the principal components and/or the other accessory parts and/or their mounting members on the chassis 31 can be very efficiently performed with high accuracy without specifically impairing the dimensional accuracy and form accuracy of the chassis 31.

Instead of such an outsert molding, it is acceptable to mount the necessary elements on the corresponding mounting holes 31 h and/or the cut portions 31 n by screwing or “caulking” or the like.

The leveling process and outsert molding are similar to those that have been conventionally well known, and therefore, neither detailed description nor illustration thereof is provided for the processes.

On the one end side of the flat-plate-shaped chassis 31 are provided bearing portions 31 b and 31 c for supporting the pivot pins 11 b and 11 c of the holder 11. The holder 11 can pivot in the vertical direction with respect to the flat-plate-shaped chassis 31 with the pivot pins 11 b and 11 c supported by the bearing portions 31 b and 31 c.

The bearing portions 31 b and 31 c have their upper portions opening upward, so that the pivot pins 11 b and 11 c of the holder 11 can be very easily (with a one-touch motion) fitted into the bearing portions from the opening for the assembling.

As an example of the mounting member of the principal components of the disk drive or the constituent elements, the bearing portions 31 b and 31 c can be enumerated. As an example of the other accessory parts, a pair of plate-shaped engagement members 31 g that are provided on one end side of the chassis 31 and extend upward as shown in FIG. 2 can be enumerated. The engagement members 31 g are to engage the holder 11 in the assembled state with the chassis 31.

An electric motor 34 for driving the loading mechanism is fixed by a screw member on the lower surface side of the chassis 31 as described later. On the output side of the electric motor 34 is provided an output transmission mechanism 40 (see FIG. 5) for transmitting the rotation of the electric motor 34 while reducing the rotating speed. Below the chassis 31 is arranged a control board 70 (see FIG. 3) on which a control circuit of the disk drive 1 is formed, and the electric motor 34 is electrically connected to this control board 70.

The output transmission mechanism 40 is constructed of a motor pulley 35 to be fixed on an output shaft 34 s of the electric motor 34, a power transmission belt 36, a pulley gear 37, an intermediate gear 38, a drive gear 39 and so on. The output of the electric motor 34 is transmitted via the motor pulley 35 and the power transmission belt 36 to the pulley gear 37 and thereafter transmitted to the drive gear 39 via the intermediate gear 38 meshed with a lower gear of the pulley gear 37.

On both sides of the drive gear 39, in terms of plan view, a pair of rack members (main rack 41 and sub-rack 42) having a toothed portion capable of meshing with the drive gear 39 are arranged opposite to each other, and both the racks 41 and 42 are slidably held and guided on the chassis 31 by a plurality of guide hooks 31 d (see FIG. 2). With the rotation of the drive gear 39 as described later, the racks can move in the direction of arrow I/J shown in FIG. 5.

A side cam portion 42 a is formed on the upper surface of the side portion on the leading end side of the sub-rack 42, and as described later, this side cam portion 42 a comes into engagement with the engagement projection 11 d of the holder 11 according to the operation state of the disk drive 1.

An engagement pin 12 b provided at the slider 12 on the holder unit 10 side is engaged from above with a recess 41 a formed on one end side of the main rack 41.

When assembling the holder unit 10 with the chassis unit 30 in the assembling process of the disk drive 1, more preferably, basically only the engagement pin 12 b of the slider 12 is to be engaged with the recess 41 a of the main rack 41.

Therefore, by individually sub-assembling the holder unit 10 and the chassis unit 30, thereafter fitting the pivot pins 11 b and 11 c of the holder 11 into the bearing portions 31 b and 31 c of the chassis 31 in a state in which the engagement pin 12 b is preparatorily positioned so as to be fitted in the recess 41 a of the main rack 41 and pivoting the holder 11 downward, the holder unit 10 can be assembled very easily (with a one-touch motion) with the chassis unit 30.

As described above, more preferably, the disk drive 1 is constructed of the two units of the holder unit 10 and the chassis unit 30, and the holder 11 is assembled with the chassis 31 pivotally in the vertical direction in the state in which the engagement pin 12 b of the slider 12 and the recess 41 a of the main rack 41 are engaged with each other in the vertical direction. Therefore, the final assembling of the disk drive 1 can be achieved by the simple work of supporting the pivot pins 11 b and 11 c (pivot) of the holder 11 by the bearing portions 31 b and 31 c (pivot support) of the chassis 31 and pivoting downward the holder 11 while engaging the slider 12 with the main rack 41 of the drive mechanism in the vertical direction. That is, the holder unit 10 can be assembled with the chassis unit 30 only by the pivot operation, and both the units 10 and 30 are engaged with each other by only one portion. Therefore, the assembling work (as well as the disassembling work) of both the units can be very easily achieved.

As a result, the productivity in the assembling work of the disk drive 1 and the serviceability are remarkably improved.

Furthermore, by assembling the holder unit 10 with the chassis 31, the side cam portion 42 a (cam surface) of the sub-rack 42 provided on the chassis unit 30 side is engaged in the vertical direction with the engagement projection lid (cam slider) of the holder 11 provided on the holder unit 10 side, thereby constituting a cam mechanism for vertically moving the disk cartridge 60 between the insertion completed position and the recording and reproducing position of the recording and reproducing unit 32. Therefore, the vertical movement mechanism can be provided with a relatively simple construction, and by descending the disk cartridge 60 by the cam mechanism from the insertion completed position to the recording and reproducing position in addition to the transfer of the disk cartridge from the mounting and dismounting position to the insertion completed position by the slider 12, a loading operation sequence can be performed.

In this case, both the cam elements (side cam portion 42 a and engagement projection 11 d) are coupled with each other in the vertical direction, and therefore, the pivot operation of the holder unit 10 in assembling the holder unit 10 with the chassis 31 is not hindered.

Between both the rack members 41 and 42 is arranged a switch lever 43 capable of coming into engagement with both the members. The switch lever 43 switches over between the main rack 41 and the sub-rack 42 to be used as the counterpart of engagement of the drive gear 39, and the switch lever 43 is pivotally supported in the direction K/L (see the arrow of the one-dot chain line in FIG. 5) on the chassis 31.

If a projection 41 b of the main rack 41 comes into engagement with a recess 43 a provided at one end of the switch lever 43 to thereby pivot the switch lever 43 in the direction K (see FIG. 5) in accordance with the shift from the state in which the toothed portion of the main rack 41 is engaged with the drive gear 39 in the direction I (see FIG. 5) of the main rack 41, then the sub-rack 42 starts to operate to mesh the toothed portion thereof with the drive gear 39 since a pin 43 b provided on the other end side of the switch lever 43 is engaged with a cam groove 42 d of the sub-rack 42.

Consequently, if the main rack 41 moves in the direction I, then the sub-rack 42, which has been stopped, is moved in the direction J by the switch lever 43 in the vicinity of the terminal end of the movement.

The head shifter 33 that serves as a support member of the magnetic head 32 a of the recording and reproducing unit 32 can arbitrarily pivot in the vertical direction, since a pair of pins 31 e of the chassis 31 are inserted in a pair of holes 33 a (see FIG. 2) provided on the rear side of the head shifter 33. Then, by this pivot operation, the magnetic head 32 a of the recording and reproducing unit 32 are pivoted in the vertical direction. Below a side of this magnetic head 32 a is positioned a turntable 32 b.

On the side portion of the head shifter 33 is provided an arm 33 b which is placed on an upper cam portion 42 c of the sub-rack 42, and the arm 33 b moves on the upper cam portion 42 c while being linked with the operation of the sub-rack 42, by which the arm 33 b (i.e., the head shifter 33) pivots in the vertical direction.

The basic operation in inserting the disk cartridge 60 into the holder 11 will be described next. FIGS. 8 through 10 are explanatory side views of the disk cartridge 60 and the disk drive 1, for explaining a sequence of operation in executing recording and reproducing by inserting the disk cartridge 60 into the holder 11. FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 show an insertion start (mounting and dismounting) position, an insertion completed (closing completed) position and a recording and reproducing position, respectively.

First, if the cartridge 60 is inserted from the mounting and dismounting position (see FIG. 8) into the holder 11, then the cartridge 60 is transferred from the mounting and dismounting position to the insertion completed position (FIG. 9) by the slider 12.

Then, the sub-rack 42 of the drive mechanism starts to move in the direction J (see FIG. 5). By this operation, the engagement projection lid of the holder 11 comes into engagement from above with the side cam portion 42 a of the sub-rack 42 and moves downward along this side cam portion 42 a. This operation pivots the holder 11 in the direction H shown in FIG. 8 and moves the disk cartridge 60 into the recording and reproducing position (see FIG. 10), thereby putting the same into a recording and reproducing state.

That is, the disk cartridge 60 moves from the state of FIG. 8 via the state of FIG. 9 to the state of FIG. 10, and vice versa.

It is to be noted that the slider 12, the lock lever 13, the engagement projection 11 d of the holder 11 and the side cam portion 42 a of the sub-rack 42 constitute the loading mechanism disclosed in the claims of the present application. That is, the principal portion of the loading mechanism except for the side cam portion 42 a is entirely mounted on the holder unit 10.

The electric motor 34, the output transmission mechanism 40, the main rack 41, the sub-rack 42 and the switch lever 43 constitute the drive mechanism disclosed in the claims of the present amplification, and these members are all mounted on the chassis unit 30.

The loading operation of the disk cartridge 60 will be described in more detail below with reference to FIG. 11 through FIG. 13.

If the cartridge 60 is manually inserted into the opening 11 a of the holder 11 in the direction A in the mounting and dismounting position (corresponding to the FIG. 8 described above) of the disk cartridge 60 shown in FIG. 11, then by making the end surface of the cartridge 60 abut against a cartridge receiving pin 13 c of the lock lever 13 and starting the movement of the receiving pin 13 c along the guide groove 11 r cut in the holder 11, the lock lever 13 pivots in the direction of arrow D. By this operation, the lock pawl 13 b of the lock lever 13 comes into engagement with a side recess 60 a of the cartridge 60. In this stage, the further pivoting of the lock lever 13 in the direction D is prevented by the engagement of the lock pawl 13 b with the side recess 60 a of the cartridge 60.

It is to be noted that the cartridge receiving pin 13 c is received in a guide groove 11 r cut in the holder 11 while being able to freely slide within the range of this guide groove 11 r.

Next, when the cartridge 60 is further pushed in the direction A, a trigger switch 46 (see FIG. 7) for issuing instructions for operating the drive mechanism operates. In the trigger switch 46 shown in FIG. 7, a switch lever 46 a, which is urged in the direction of arrow Tr in FIG. 7 is engaged with a projection 13 e extending downward from the rear end side of the lock lever 13 in the mounting and dismounting position of the cartridge 60, is inoperable in this state. If the cartridge 60 is pushed in the direction A from this state, then the projection 13 e moves rightward in FIG. 7, by which the switch lever 46 a becomes free to pivot in the direction of arrow Tr to turn on the trigger switch 46.

This operation drives the electric motor 34, by which the cartridge 60 is further transferred in the direction A via the drive mechanism that uses the electric motor 34 as a drive power source. It is to be noted that the trigger switch 46 is electrically connected to the control board 70.

FIG. 13 is a plan view showing the closing completed (insertion completed) state of the cartridge 60 (corresponding to the FIG. 9 mentioned above). As is clearly shown in this figure, a rib 11 f (regulating rib) extending in the direction in which the cartridge is inserted is provided on the upper surface of the holder 11, while a guide pawl 13 d is provided on the lock lever 13. This guide pawl 13 d is to be engaged with the regulating rib 11 f in a state in which the lock pawl 13 b is engaged with the side recess 60 a of the disk cartridge 60 to lock the cartridge 60.

It is to be noted that the regulating rib 11 f corresponds to the guide member stated in the claim of the present application, while the guide pawl 13 d corresponds to the engagement portion stated in the claim of the present application.

During the movement of the disk cartridge 60 from the mounting and dismounting position to the insertion completed position, the regulating rib 11 f of the holder 11 is engaged with the guide pawl 13 d of the lock lever 13 to slide the guide pawl 13 d along the regulating rib 11 f, by which the lock lever 13 is prevented from pivoting in the direction C and the disk cartridge 60 is smoothly and securely transferred in the direction A.

When the cartridge 60 is further pushed in the direction A from the state of FIG. 12 described above, the trigger switch (not shown) for issuing the instructions for operating the drive mechanism operates. By this operation, the electric motor 34 starts to rotate, with which the drive gear 39 starts to rotate in the direction of arrow O as shown in FIG. 14 successively via the motor pulley 35, power transmission belt 36, pulley gear 37 and intermediate gear 38, which serve as a speed reducing system constituting the output transmission mechanism 40. Then the drive gear 39 comes into meshing engagement with the toothed portion 41 c provided on the main rack 41, thereby moving the main rack 41 in the direction of arrow I.

In this stage, the engagement pin 12 b of the slider 12 is engaged with the recess 41 a of the main rack 41. Therefore, the lock lever 13 placed on the slider 12 moves, by which the cartridge 60 engaged with the lock pawl 13 b of the lock lever 13 moves in the direction A. It is to be noted that the sub-rack 42 is in the stopped state in this stage, when its toothed portion 42 e does not mesh with the drive gear 39.

The main rack 41 further advances in the direction I from this state, and when the main rack advances to the specified position shown in FIG. 15 (a position corresponding to the insertion completed position of the disk cartridge 60 in the holder 11), the projection 41 b of the main rack 41 comes into engagement with the recess 43 a of the switch lever 43, thereby pivoting the switch lever 43 in the direction K (see FIG. 15). By this operation, the pin 43 b provided at one end of the switch lever 43 pushes the cam groove 42 d of the sub-rack 42 in the direction J, by which the sub-rack 42 starts to slide in the same direction (i.e., the direction opposite to the direction in which the main rack 41 slides).

Next, when the main rack 41 further advances in the direction I, the toothed portion 42 e of the sub-rack 42 comes into meshing engagement with the drive gear 39, and thereafter, the toothed portion 41 c of the main rack 41 is disengaged from the drive gear 39.

Then, the sub-rack 42 further moves in the direction J with the pivoting of the drive gear 39 and reaches the specified position (position corresponding to the recording and reproducing position of the cartridge 60) shown in FIG. 16.

By this operation, the engagement projection 11 d of the holder 11 comes into engagement from above with the side cam portion 42 a of the sub-rack 42 and slides along the side cam portion 42 a, by which the cartridge 60 is loaded into the recording and reproducing position shown in FIG. 10.

When the sub-rack 42 further advances in the direction J, the head shifter 33 pivots downward since the arm 33 b provided on one side surface of the head shifter 33 is engaged from above with an upper surface cam portion 43 c of the sub-rack 42 (i.e., positioned on the upper surface cam portion 43 c ), by which the magnetic head 32 a of the recording and reproducing unit 32 is made to pivot downward to be set into the recording enabled state (see FIG. 17).

The disk drive 1 of the present embodiment is provided with a mechanism for preventing the disk cartridge 60 from being inserted when the user tries to erroneously insert the disk cartridge in a direction different from the correct direction into the disk drive 1 (i.e., into the holder 11).

The mechanism for preventing the erroneous insertion of the disk cartridge 60 will be described next. As shown in FIG. 24, the disk cartridge 60 has a rectangular planar shape constituted by a short side (length R=68 mm) and a long side (length Q=72 mm, Q>R), where the correct direction of insertion of the cartridge extends in the direction of the triangular indication mark 62 with the long side facing the opening 11 a of the holder 11 (so that the width of insertion becomes wide).

Grooves 60 b and 60 c having a specified length from the end surface on the insertion side are provided on both side portions in the direction in which the disk cartridge 60 is inserted, and a side recess 60 a for locking use is positioned in the vicinity of the side opposite to the insertion side of the groove 60 b provided on one side. The grooves 60 b and 60 c provided on the side portions of the cartridge are opening on the end surface on the insertion side, and the grooves are positioned not in the center position in the direction of thickness of the cartridge 60 but in an upwardly offset position in the state in which the cartridge is inserted in the correct direction.

If the disk cartridge 60 is being inserted in a direction 90 degrees different from the correct direction (i.e., the incorrect direction with the narrow width of insertion), then as shown in FIG. 18 and FIG. 19, the end surface on the insertion side of the cartridge 60 abuts against the cartridge receiving pin 13 c of the lock lever 13 to start moving the cartridge receiving pin 13 c along the guide groove 11 r of the holder 11, by which the lock lever 13 is made to pivot in the direction of arrow D.

In this case, the lock lever 13 pivots more largely (the second pivot amount stated in the claims of the present application) around the center Pf of the hook portion 13 a due to the narrow width of the cartridge 60 as compared with the amount of pivot (the first pivot amount stated in the claims of the present application) in the case of insertion in the correct direction (see FIG. 11 through FIG. 13).

On the upper surface of the holder 11 is provided a short rib 11 g (stop rib) a specified interval apart from the side of the regulating rib 11 f. This stop rib 11 g corresponds to the stopper stated in the claim of the present application.

If the disk cartridge 60 is being inserted in the incorrect direction with the narrow width of insertion and the lock lever 13 pivots largely (second pivot amount), then the guide pawl 13 d of the lock lever 13 is engaged with the stop rib 11 g provided on the holder 11, by which the lock lever 13 is prevented from further advancing (prevented from moving in the direction A).

This arrangement can reduce the possibility of the occurrence of damage of the disk cartridge 60 and the disk drive 1 due to the forced inserting/ejecting operation of the disk cartridge 60 in the case of erroneous insertion.

If the disk cartridge 60 is being inserted in the correct direction, as is clearly shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, the guide pawl 13 d of the lock lever 13 passes through a space between the regulating rib 11 f and the stop rib 11 g of the holder 11, thereby allowing the cartridge 60 to be inserted and transferred without any trouble.

That is, taking advantage of the fact that the width of insertion of the cartridge 60 varies depending on when the disk cartridge 60 is being inserted in the correct direction or when the cartridge is being inserted in the incorrect direction 90 degrees different from the correct direction, causing a difference in the amount of pivot of the lock lever 13, it is decided whether the direction of insertion of the cartridge 60 is correct or incorrect, for the prevention of erroneous insertion. This arrangement provides the measures against the erroneous insertion of the cartridge 60 without additionally incorporating any special component.

An erroneous insertion defined by the backward insertion of the disk cartridge 60 in a direction 180 degrees different from the correct direction (i.e., with same width of insertion) will be described next.

The slider 12 is provided with a projection 12 d that faces a specified side portion of the disk cartridge 60 (i.e., the side on which the side recess 60 a for locking use is provided) when the disk cartridge 60 is being inserted in the correct direction and is slidably fitted in the groove 60 b that is cut in the above side portion and extends in the direction in which the cartridge is inserted.

If the disk cartridge 60 is being inserted in the correct direction, then as shown in FIG. 20 through FIG. 22, the projection 12 d of the slider 12 can freely slide while being fitted in the groove 60 b of the cartridge side portion, thereby allowing the disk cartridge 60 to be inserted.

When the disk cartridge 60 is being inserted as described above, the lock pawl 13 b of the lock lever 13 comes into engagement with the side recess 60 a of the disk cartridge 60, thereby locking the disk cartridge 60 with the slider 12.

If the disk cartridge 60 is further manually moved in the direction of insertion by a very short distance, then the aforementioned trigger switch 46 is turned on to drive the electric motor 34, and the cartridge 60 is automatically transferred by the drive mechanism with regard to the subsequent stroke.

If the disk cartridge 60 is being inserted backward in a direction 180 degrees different from the correct direction (i.e., with same width of insertion), then as shown in FIG. 23, the disk cartridge 60 is to be inserted from the end surface provided with neither one of the grooves 60 b and 60 c extending in the direction of insertion. Consequently, the projection 12 d of the slider 12 interferes with the end surface and/or the side portion of the cartridge 60 in the mounting and dismounting position of the cartridge 60, thereby preventing the disk cartridge 60 from further advancing.

Although not shown in concrete, if the disk cartridge 60 is being erroneously inserted upside down, then the cartridge 60 is to be inserted from the end surface provided with the grooves 60 b and 60 c extending in the direction of insertion. However, these grooves 60 b and 60 c are not aligned with the projection 12 d of the slider 12 in the direction of thickness of the cartridge 60. Therefore, the projection 12 d of the slider 12 also interferes with the end surface and/or the side portion of the cartridge 60 in the mounting and dismounting position of the cartridge 60, thereby preventing the disk cartridge 60 from further advancing.

If a projection as described above is fixed on the holder, then the projection must be constructed in a deep portion at a distance greater than the distance T to the groove 60 b of the disk cartridge 60 as shown in FIG. 22, when the cartridge 60 is to be inserted into the position T when erroneously inserted.

That is, by forming the projection 12 d integrally with the slider 12 and moving the slider 12 from the mounting and dismounting position shown in FIG. 20 to the insertion completed position shown in FIG. 22, the erroneous insertion of the cartridge 60 can be stopped in a position S closer to the opening end of the holder 11 as shown in FIG. 20. Also, since the erroneous insertion is stopped in the position S, the cartridge receiving pin 13 c of the lock lever 13 shown in FIG. 11 can be moved to a position V near the opening end of the holder 11, thereby allowing the loading stroke of the cartridge 60 to be increased.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the erroneous insertion can be securely prevented by taking advantage of the fact that the width of insertion of the cartridge 60 varies depending on when the disk cartridge 60 is being inserted in the correct direction or when the disk cartridge 60 is being inserted in the incorrect direction 90 degrees different from the correct direction, causing a difference in the amount of pivotal movement of the lock lever 13.

In this case, by merely providing the holder 11 with the stop rib 11 g, the erroneous insertion can be prevented by means of the lock lever 13 provided for locking the disk cartridge 60 with the slider 12. Accordingly, there is no need for newly incorporating separate components, causing no structural complication of the disk drive.

There is provided the lock lever 13 that is pivotally supported by the slider 12 and is able to lock the disk cartridge 60 that is being inserted while being engaged with the cartridge 60, and the regulating rib 11 f that extends in the direction in which the cartridge is inserted and comes into engagement with the guide pawl 13 d of the lock lever 13 in the state in which the lock lever 13 locks the cartridge 60 is provided on the holder 11. The lock lever 13 moves in the direction in which the cartridge is inserted in the state in which the guide pawl 13 d thereof is guided by the regulating rib 11 f. Therefore, the lock lever 13 (and also the slider 12) can be moved smoothly and securely in the direction in which the cartridge is inserted.

It is to be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various improvements or modifications in design can, of course, be achieved within the scope thereof, not departing from the essence thereof. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A disk drive comprising: a recording and reproducing unit for recording information on a recording and/or reproducing medium encased in a disk cartridge or reproducing the information recorded on the medium; a holder for guiding and holding the disk cartridge that is being inserted; a slider for transferring the disk cartridge between a mounting and dismounting position where the disk cartridge can be mounted on and dismounted from the holder and an insertion completed position where the disk cartridge is completely inserted in the holder while moving together with the disk cartridge, wherein the slider slides in the same direction as the disk cartridge in an inserting/ejecting operation thereof; a drive mechanism capable of driving the slider; and a lock member that is pivotally supported by the slider and is able to lock the disk cartridge, wherein the lock member pivots upon being engaged with the disk cartridge that has a rectangular planar shape constituted by a short side and a long side when the disk cartridge is being inserted in an insertion direction, wherein the lock member pivots with a first pivot amount when the disk cartridge is being inserted with a wide width of insertion in a correct orientation, wherein the first pivot amount is smaller than a second pivot amount, which occurs when the disk cartridge is being inserted with a narrow width of insertion in an incorrect orientation, and the holder being provided with a stopper for allowing the lock member to move in the insertion direction of the cartridge in a state in which the lock member pivots by the first pivot amount and preventing the lock member from moving in the insertion direction of the cartridge in a state in which the lock member pivots by the second pivot amount. 